SOURCE2 A map showing the expansion of the empire under Selim I and Suleiman
EUROPE
Vienna
Buda
Belgrade
Bucharest
BLACK SEA
Istanbul
Bursa
Rhodes
ASIA
Damascus
Baghdad
Jerusalem
Cairo
Medina
Mecca
0
500
1000
1500
AFRICA
kilometres
Key
Bursa
City
Aden
Ottoman lands, 1512
Conquests of Selim I, 1512−20
Conquests of Suleiman, 1520−66
Source: Map drawn by Spatial Vision.
SkillBuilder discussion Historical significance 1. With a partner, describe the location of the expansion of the empire under Selim I and Suleiman. 2. How did Selim I and Suleiman the Magnificent’s expansion of the Ottoman Empire affect Europe’s and the Middle East’s political and economic landscape? 3. What was the strategic significance of the island of Rhodes for the Ottoman Empire? A significant campaign in the early years of Suleiman’s rule was his attack on the island of Rhodes in 1522. The knights of the Order of St John, successors to the early Crusaders, had seized the island from the Byzantines in 1309. The knights had been a constant thorn in the side of the Ottomans, attacking ships and thwarting Suleiman’s advances across the Mediterranean. After an exhausting five-month siege, Suleiman signed a truce with the knights that gave him control of the island. This victory was strategically crucial for Suleiman and his empire because the Ottomans could now use Rhodes as a base for further campaigns across the Mediterranean and North Africa. Suleiman’s next target was eastern Europe. A series of successful campaigns gave him control of Serbia and Hungary. This brought Suleiman face to face with his long-time rival, the Hapsburg Empire.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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